9.0Essential
REAPER by Cockos is a complete digital audio workstation for recording, editing, mixing, and mastering, with a $60 discounted license and full free evaluation.
Plugin comparison
REAPER vs Universal Audio LUNA 3.0
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which daw to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Contenders
The side-by-side
Universal Audio LUNA 3.0 is a free DAW for Mac and Windows with AI stem separation, audio-to-MIDI, and LUNA Play; a $199 Studio tier adds tape and console emulations.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | REAPER | Universal Audio LUNA 3.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $60 / $225 | Free; LUNA Studio $199 |
| Dubspot Score | 9.0 | — |
| Formats | VST, VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2, standalone, macOS, Windows, Linux | standalone, macOS, Windows |
| Type | Full multitrack DAW (audio, MIDI, video) | Digital audio workstation |
| Current version | 7.x (e.g. 7.77 as of July 2026) | — |
| License | $60 discounted / $225 commercial; DRM-free | — |
| Evaluation | 60-day full-featured evaluation | — |
| Updates | New v7 license includes free updates through 8.99 | — |
| Plugin formats | VST, VST3, LV2, AU, CLAP, DX, JS | — |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | — |
| Notable v7 features | Track lanes, swipe comping, FX containers, up to 128 track channels | — |
| Released | — | 15 September 2026 |
| Editions | — | LUNA Free and LUNA Studio |
| Free price | — | Free, no expiry |
| Studio price | — | $199 one time, or $19.99/month / $149.99/year via UAD Spark Studio |
| Stem separation | — | 4-track (Free), 6-track (Studio) |
| Smart tools | — | Audio-to-MIDI, lyric transcription, chord extraction (Studio; Moises-powered) |
| Operating systems | — | macOS, Windows 10/11 |
| Audio interface | — | Any, via Core Audio or ASIO |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.